BSC Active in Partnership & Collaborative Initiatives

(Bluefield)—Embracing opportunities to work with local, area, state, and national organizations, Bluefield State College has collaborated on numerous fronts during the past 12 months. A summary of some of the College’s cooperative activities is included below:

Bluefield State College partnerships

The Center for Applied Research & Technology (CART) at BSC worked for the Shott Foundation and with the City of Bluefield in the redesign/upgrade of facilities at Mitchell Stadium (the football stadium used by several area middle school and high school teams) so that the structure would be more accommodating and would be qualified for consideration as a state football playoff site.

Bluefield State College School of Business students and faculty volunteered many hours in repainting the Martin Luther King Bridge in Bluefield. The students worked with the City of Bluefield and the City’s Beautification, which furnished the paint, during the project.

The Bluefield State College Minority Health Institute recently hosted a “Mobilization Training Conference” in partnership with Kanawha and McDowell REACH WV Coalitions. Conference costs were underwritten through a $140,000 grant received by the BSC Minority Health Institute from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Office of Minority Health. This was a first-of-its-type conference, highlighting racial and ethnic approaches to community health across West Virginia.

The inaugural “Disability Awareness Day” program at Bluefield State College featured six informational booths and attracted 55 registrants. The initiative was organized by the BSC student organization “People First,” in conjunction with the College’s Human Resources office and the office of Multicultural Affairs. People First is an organization for students, faculty, and staff at the college who have an interest in disability issues. Among the participating groups, agencies, and offices were the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services, F.UN. (Friends Unlimited), the Disability Mentoring Day/U.S. Forestry Service lab, BSC’s Multicultural Affairs office, Human Resources office, and Student Support Services office, and People First.

Students in the Bluefield State College Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSC BSN) program are helping many of this region’s younger and more senior residents enjoy the benefits of healthy living. As part of the BSC BSN program, a “Community Nursing Practicum” course is designed for students to gain “real life” nursing experiences outside the clinical setting. BSN students work with elementary school students at The Wade Center and help senior adults through a variety of health education initiatives at the West Virginia Manor.

Now in its third year at The Wade Center, BSC’s Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) program offers innovative, interactive health and wellness program for area school students in grades 1-5.

The College welcomes Mercer County Schools member schools, students, and families to campus five times each year, serving as a host site for countywide academic competition in reading, math, history, and spelling.

Bluefield State College Associate Degree Nursing second year students recently presented more than $75,000 worth of medications to Mercer Health Right. The medication was collected during a two-month community-focused project and will augment Mercer Health Right’s ability to help qualifying patients.

For more than 20 years, Bluefield State College faculty, students, and volunteers have offered the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, helping elderly and/or low income individuals and families to complete and file their state and federal tax returns. In 2008, BSC volunteered approximately 600 hours’ time, helping residents complete and file nearly 650 tax returns.

The Center for Applied Research & Technology (CART) and Bluefield State College served as host for the second annual Mine Rescue Competition, bringing together several mine rescue teams to sharpen their skills and test their knowledge. Mining experts evaluated each team as they faced rescue challenges in a simulated mine environment at the June Oblinger Shott Sportsplex on the BSC campus.The College and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) also entered into partnership to enhance training and opportunities for minority students, and to assist OSM in augmenting the diversity and capabilities of its work force.

Students from the computer science program again developed engineering software for use by area service organizations. Over the past three years, students in the program have assisted organizations including the Mercer County Humane Society, The Wade Center, Bluefield Union Mission, and Mercer County Food Pantry.

The Bluefield Professional Development Schools (PDS consortium, whose members include Bluefield State College, Montcalm Elementary, Montcalm High, Whitethorn Elementary, Bluefield Middle, Bluewell Elementary, Princeton Primary, and Bluewell Intermediate schools, received a $50,000 grant award from the West Virginia Department of Education & the Arts and the Benedum Foundation. The grant is the largest award ever received by the PDS and underwrites a variety of initiatives involving consortium members. The Bluefield PDS focuses upon enhancing the preparation of teacher education candidates, enhancing instructional services to students, and providing collaborative professional development activities.

Bluefield State College recently donated a grand piano to the Bluefield Performing Arts Center at Bluefield High School.

Bluefield State College students gained “hands on” experience in the electoral process, utilizing the voting machines that were employed during the general election in November, 2008. They also learned more about the importance of active citizenship during two programs delivered on campus by the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office and the Virginia Voter Registration office.

The Center for Applied Research and Technology (CART) at Bluefield State College is helping create an “intelligent” steel cord belt monitoring system and providing Applied Research Assistance to Fenner Dunlop’s Research & Development Center at the new Tazewell County Business and Technology Park near Bluefield, VA. This initiative could have a powerful and positive impact throughout the mining industry. Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting, the world’s largest manufacturer of conveyor belting for mining and industrial applications, has built its research center adjacent to the 680 acre Bluestone Technology Park in Tazewell County. The facility features a 65-foot test conveyor system.

The Center for Applied Research and Technology (CART) at Bluefield State College received more than $48,000 through an agreement with the Marshall University Research Corporation on behalf of the Nick J. Rahall, II Appalachian Transportation Institute (RTI). This supports CART’s effort to provide campus coordination services for the Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute.

BSC School of Engineering Technology faculty will present two papers entitled (1) Development of a Web-Based Course in Miner Safety Training and (2) Operating a Center for Applied Research & Technology (CART) at the 116th American Society for Engineering Education in ASEE Conference Austin, Texas, June 14-17, 2009.